The introduction begins with a contradiction that inspires the book’s title. In twenty years of correspondence between Queen Anne and Sarah Churchill, the Duchess of Marlborough (who were famous for their close and loving friendship), the two closed letters with phrases in which the words “passionate” or “passionately” figured prominently. And yet a comment by Sarah regarding a somewhat scandalous pamphlet described it as including “stuff not fit to be mentioned of passions between women”. Did the word “passion” have distinct and separate meanings in these two contexts?
game of flats
(English) As with Tommy, an 18th century text provides undeniable evidence for this phrase meaning “women having sex together.” The 1749 polemic Satan’s Harvest Home has a section entitled “The Game of Flats” which goes into sufficient detail to make the meaning clear.
LHMP entry
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